Birds of a feather
by Soriya
Summary: Naruto's seal is under a lot of question so he has to go to a legendary place housing magic folk. But what will happen when he finds out Shinobi's and their arts have been banned? Who is this girl that saves his life and how does she know thier arts?
1. Chapter 1

'Hmm, this place looks familiar.' Naruto thought looking at the land. "But where have I seen it before?" He muttered to himself as they passed the mountain with clouds shrouding the top from view. It looked as though something huge tried to climb the mountain and tore big chunks out the side of it. Naruto thought deeply trying to reach the area in his mind where he saw it before. But all he did was draw up a huge blank.

"Sensei, what's wrong with Naruto? He's gone very quiet all of a sudden." Sakura whispered to Kakashe who was leading the group past the mountains. He looked back and saw the look on Naruto's face. "The Nine-tailed fox was here before you were born. That demon tried to find the hidden city said to be the home of people with powerful magic. It's only a legend but something stopped that creature in its tracks. You can see where it stopped climbing and retreated back down the mountain. So maybe there is some hidden memory deep within Naruto's mind that's trying to resurface. We may see more of this in our journey. But until he figures it out we shall keep this between us…and Sasuke you'll do the same." He said noticing the stealthy ninja walking just behind him able to hear the conversation. "Whatever."

"Naruto, keep looking like that and you'll turn in to Sasuke!" Sakura teased. "WHAT!" Naruto yelled finding that far from funny. He put his own face back on and became his usual self. Sasuke glared at Sakura so she apologised. 'Yeah, sorry I didn't think of it earlier.' Her inner side said.

When they stopped for camp that night he went to fill the water pouches on his own. That way he could think about the hidden memory undisturbed. 'Dammit! Where have I seen this place before?' He asked himself getting more and more frustrated. He hit the ground when he could take no more. He was thinking so hard his head started hurting. He was on the brink of tears but fought them back tremendously.

"Naruto." A voice said behind him. He turned to see Sasuke standing by a tree; it looked like he had been there for a while. "Are you…?" He stopped and looked down at the water bottles. "Have you filled one yet? We need water for the food."

"Here." Naruto said chucking him a full pouch. "Don't use it all at once." He said with a goofy grin on his face. "I won't." Sasuke said giving Naruto a warm smile surprising the hell out of him. "See ya." He said and made his way back to camp. "Yeah…" Was Naruto's reply before he turned back to the river filling up the rest of the pouches. 'That was weird.' He thought getting back to what he was thinking about.

"How is he?" Kakashe asked Sasuke when he came back with the pouch. "Not good. I think it'd driving him mad trying to remember." He said carelessly pouring the water in to a pot. Kakashe sighed. "Naruto will remember eventually all the pain and fear the creature sealed within him has caused. When that time comes he'll have to face it alone."

"No way!" Sakura yelled standing up so fast you'd think she'd sat on a thistle. "I don't like Naruto but no one should have to go through that alone!" Kakashe looked at her thinking very carefully about what he was going to say. "He may not want your help or anyone else. All his life Naruto has been hated and feared so he's used to being alone. He acts the way he does because he cannot stand it but he knows how to live with it when there is no one to show off his antics. When he does eventually remember chances are he'll try to run away from us and keep his distance from anyone in case the fox should ever come out. He won't want our deaths on his conscience."

"Naruto." Sakura sighed looking in the direction of the river.

The young boy had finished his task and was about to return to camp when he heard someone singing. It was a young girl's voice over by the waterfall. Overwhelmed by curiosity he went over to the waterfall. He looked over the edge of the cliff in the direction of the singing voice. He couldn't see where she was and figured she was in the mist rising high in to the air. 'Maybe there are some flat rocks below the waterfall. She's probably standing on them.' He thought leaning even further over the edge. Still unable to see anything he climbed up a tree and went along a branch seven feet away from the trunk. He went as far as he could go and held on to a thinner branch sticking up in to the air. He held on to it and leaned over but he still couldn't see anything.

The voice was soft and gentle; every note seemed to flow through him. He stayed there for a while listening to the eerie song imagining what she looked like. 'Tall, blond and veeeerryyy pretty.' He drooled.

He was so captivated by the mystery singer he failed to notice the branch he stood on was creaking. He was slowly going down until the branch could take no more. A sickening crack came to his ears too late and he was falling towards the mist. "YYYYYAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, plummeting with the speed of an arrow as he entered the mist.

When he saw the water there were no flat ones…but very jagged I want to impale you ones!

But as he reached them he noticed he had stopped falling. "Huh?" He looked up to see something was grabbing his leg. "Hey! Are you ok?" Someone called above him. Could it be the one who was singing. Her voice was different, it was strong and so full of confidence Naruto felt little in her presence. "Y-yeah, I'm ok." He managed to say. "I'm going to get you back up where you fell. Try not to struggle or I won't be able to keep hold of you. You're heavy enough as it is and I can't get you on my broomstick in this position." She said making Naruto stay very still. 'Wait a minute? Broomstick?'

When they came out the mist he could see her. She was wearing a dark hooded purple cloak and was indeed riding a black broomstick.

They reached the top of the waterfall and Naruto felt himself being lowered gently to the ground. When he got up he looked at the girl floating by the edge on the cliff. She looked over to the tree and sighed. "Didn't you know that it was dead? It hasn't even got any leaves and the bark is black!" She growled at him. "Hey! It was your singing that made me do it!" He exclaimed. "Well Mr. Wizard; next time you go flying don't forget your broom."

"I'm no wizard I'm a Shinobi in training!" She gasped. "A Shinobi? Oh great…Kein's going to kill me for this."

"Are you a witch?" He asked making her heave a heavy sigh. "What did you think I was? A giant bird of some kind?" She growled. "Listen, for saving your life I need you to promise you won't tell anyone you saw me. My people have cut themselves off from Ninja's and any other people who don't know where we are. Only the Hokage of every village know where we are. They don't ever contact us unless in times of great need. So will you please do that for me?"

"Hey, you're in that hidden city up there aren't you?" Naruto pointed to the mountain with the cloudy top. "They told us it was just a legend."

"Yes and it must stay that way. Please, give me your word as a ninja that you'll never tell a soul about what happened tonight." She pleaded. Naruto was about to give his word when he heard something in the distance. "NARUTO!" His Sensei and his cell members were calling him from where he filled the pouches. "Please, promise me you'll say nothing or my life won't be worth living." Again she pleaded but sounded more desperate than last time. "Ok I promise." He said and she started to fly away. "H-hey!" She stopped and looked at him. "What's your name?"

"Sujin." She said quickly and flew up in to the clouds. Naruto stood there staring at the clouds his saviour had just flown into. "Good Bye…"

"THERE YOU ARE NARUTO!" Sakura exclaimed. "What happened? Why did you scream like that? You scared the hell out of us!" She yelled. 'If only her voice was as sweet as Sujin's.' Naruto thought. He listened to her rant and rave how they had to go looking for him. Sasuke and Kakashe were way behind her glaring at him. "Care to explain?" Kakashe said when Sakura had finally finished scolding Naruto. 'Oh crap! I can't tell them about Sujin, I promised her. Gotta think of something fast.' He looked over to the tree he fell from and decided to spin up a short story. "I wanted to see the waterfall so I decided to climb that tree and get a good look at it. The branch broke and I fell but managed to jump back in time. Eh heh heh…the end?"

"Naruto." Kakashe sighed. "You may not be the greatest member of our team but try not to get yourself killed." For once Naruto didn't retort to that insult and just stared up at the clouds. "You're looking all serious again." Sakura warned bringing Naruto back to reality. "Am not!" They headed back to camp. Kakashe stole a quick glance at the clouds when he was behind them. But seeing nothing he followed them back to camp.


	2. Chapter 2

All through their meal Naruto didn't say anything. He just kept staring at the sky after every bite. Even his eating habits were none existent as he chewed his food slowly in deep thought and swallowed just as quietly. "That near death experience must've improved your manners Naruto. You're not talking with your mouth full or anything." Sakura pointed out. Naruto swallowed and looked over to her. "Huh? Oh, sorry."

"Don't apologise. It's good to see you have **some** manners." She said trying provoke him in an argument but still he didn't do anything. His cell members were growing concerned but Naruto didn't seem to care. He was still thinking about Sujin and where he had seen this place before.

But all this thinking made him tired and he decided to turn in early. "Naruto? You're not getting sick or anything are you?" Kakashe asked bringing Naruto out of his thoughts. "Hmm? Err…no, I'm fine. Goodnight." He said in a dreamlike state as he turned his back to the glare of the fire. 'I kept my promise Sujin. Will I ever see you again?' He wondered slowly falling asleep. Sakura and Sasuke followed suit an hour later. Their teacher was the only one who was awake now, he made sure they were completely knocked out before getting up and walking away. He went to the edge of a clearing and waited.

For over an hour he was there listening to the night until the sound of a large amount of air rushing over his head caught his attention. He came out to see five or six people in dark hooded cloaks land in the middle. They rode on different coloured broomsticks. Some were brown, red-brown, black, dark blue and one was even a dark green colour. But the one that really caught his attention was the one on the white broom. His cloak was white too and seemed to be carrying a long white staff with a diamond as big as your fist at the top. It had elaborate carvings from top to bottom and appeared to have a soft glow about it. 'So…he's the Grand High Wizard.'

Kakashe bowed in respect when the white robed man came forwards. He raised a hand and shook his head. "Please, let's skip the formalities." He sounded old but had a good strong voice and his aura was just as intimidating. "We are all friends here." Kakashe raised his visible eyebrow and glanced at the robed people behind the old wizard. He chuckled at the Shinobi's disbelief. "I am sorry. They insisted on protecting an old man because the demon fox is near."

"I fear the seal on Naruto might be getting weaker. Lord Hokage told me to find you if the fox started showing itself. He's starting to remember things from that creature's past."

"Hmm, that's very worrying. Bring the boy and I'll do everything in my power to strengthen the seal. If I cannot then…" He paused and heaved a heavy sigh. "…we know what must be done. I have no wish to take the boy's life but I have to protect my people. We barely managed to hold it off last time. Should it break loose and try again then my power might not be able to hold it back. I still haven't recovered fully from the last ordeal so I won't want to face that thing in my current state. I would explain to your students where they are going when you reach the gate of our city." Kakashe looked up at the huge mountain and sweat dropped. " My apologies. It is traditional for all Shinobi to make it up on their own steam. The only ones we can offer our service to are old Hokage's. Please don't let this put you off."

"I'll try my best to get them up there. But I can't guarantee they'll be there in one day." He said bowing again. "Before you leave…I believe Naruto had a near death experience today?"

"Yes." Kakashe said slightly taken aback. The old man chuckled again. "I take it lord Hokage didn't tell you I can see in to the present and the future?" Hatake shook his head. "I gave him that crystal ball as a present for reaching Hokage. That way if they wanted to come to us I would send one of my people to retrieve them. It doesn't seem fair to travel all this way I know but tradition is unbreakable." The old man chuckled again seeing the look on the Shinobi's face. "So." His tone had become serious again. "Did he tell you what happened?" Kakashe seemed a bit confused as to why he was so interested in the antics of a complete goofball. But he didn't ask and just told him what Naruto had said. The old man chuckled again and came closer to him. He motioned for Kakashe to come forwards so he could whisper in to his ear. "He is a very honourable young man." Kakashe couldn't believe what he was hearing and let the old man continue. "The truth is, one of our young trainee witches was out of bounds tonight and saved your young friend from a very nasty accident. She probably asked him not to tell you and he never did. Now that I know what kind of boy he is…there might be a chance I won't have to strengthen the seal after all. It seems to me he has his own strength and should never be underestimated. Do you agree?"

"Uh…"

"That's a question I would like you to answer after he has been to the city. Until then this is between just you and I." The old man said, flicking his eyes at the three behind Kakashe. "Take good care of that boy. From what I have seen so far, he'll make a great Hokage one of these days." Kakashe didn't open his mouth to argue and just watched them fly back up the mountain. 'Tomorrows going to be a loooonnggg day.' He thought and headed back towards camp with what the old man said still fresh in his mind. 'Naruto? A Hokage…well stranger things have happened.'

"You can come down now Sasuke. Did you get a good view up there?" At first glance you'd think he was talking to a tree. But then something moved in the leaves and jumped down before him. "It's a good thing you're a talented Shinobi or they would've seen you. So did you hear everything?"

"Apart from when he whispered to you." Sasuke mumbled, he was angry he'd been found out. "Don't look too angry. I probably wouldn't have known you were there until I walked past this tree. The grand high Wizard knew you were there the whole time." Kakashe said and smiled at the surprised look on his pupils face. "That has to be the most emotion I have ever seen from you. Let's go back and sleep as much as we can. By the look of the mountain we have to climb tomorrow, we're gonna need it."


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone woke up later than usual that day. Naruto and Sakura found it strange as to why Kakashe didn't wake them earlier but didn't complain about it. Sasuke and Kakashe kept quiet about the whole thing as they approached the mountain.

"Your challenge for today is to climb this mountain. All young Shinobi's have to get to the top within a day to pass the test." He said chuckling. Sakura turned white as a sheet seeing how high it was as she looked straight up. Sasuke just stared trying to work out the quickest and not to mention the safest route up there. More surprisingly there was no protest from Naruto. He just looked very determined and narrowed his eyes at the clouds above them. 'I'm going to see you again Sujin. I didn't even thank you last night. But as soon as we get there I'll find you.' Kakashe noticed the change in Naruto but he too kept quiet. After he gave the signal to go they started climbing.

An hour later Naruto was climbing as fast as he could and was way ahead of the others. Even his teacher was behind him. "You may want to go slower Naruto. You need to pace yourself." He said but Naruto couldn't hear the warning he was way too high and the wind was blowing in his ears.

When he reached the checkpoint he was exhausted and flopped to the ground. An hour later they found him there asleep, he was completely run down. "I warned him. We'll make some lunch and wake him up, and then I'll try to tell him again." He said taking out the food and cooking tools. Sakura kicked him awake and the boy looked around bleary eyed. "He's awake." She said casually walking over to the other two. Naruto yawned and sat down before his meal. "Did you have a nice nap?" Kakashe growled. "Yeah, maybe I should pace myself for the rest of the way." Naruto said tucking in to his food. "Well, I did warn you." Hatake sighed. "You did? I couldn't hear anything with the wind blowing in my ears all the time."

"Naruto, just stick with the rest of us this time. I know you're determined to get up there as quickly as possible but patience and safety is a key issue here. If you fall I can't guarantee you're safety. So go slower next time."

"Yes sir." Naruto said looking a bit guilty.

Sasuke looked tired but hid it very well and just looked up at the mountain figuring out the rest of the way. Sakura was trying very hard not to look either up or down and just stared at a point in the rock before her. She was shaking so much she could barely eat her meal. Kakashe just sat there looking at Naruto who was staring just as intently if not even more so than Sasuke at the clouds. 'Maybe he will become a Hokage after all. If only he had that kind of determination in everything he does than who knows what he could achieve.'

After the half way point the route became a lot harder. It seemed that the halfway point was where the demon fox chose to turn back so there were less cracks in the rocks. They had to negotiate a path through the few cracks and holes there were to put there feet. Most of the time they would be climbing one after another in a line towards the top. Sasuke was up front with Naruto just behind him, behind Naruto the girl was struggling a few feet below. Sakura just kept looking straight at the rocks in front of her and felt for the holes above her head. They knew she was scared of heights but she was giving it all she had. Kakashe stayed behind Sakura watching her every move. "Look up!"

"No way!" She refused feeling upwards for another hole in the rock face. "It's much better than looking down."

"Don't say that!" She screeched keeping her eyes firmly fixed to the wall. She shuddered remembering when she fell off for being careless whilst looking at Sasuke. If Kakashe hadn't been below her she'd have been in real trouble. But the worst part was when she looked down and screamed. Sakura kept going getting a little faster with each time she found a hole anyway. Kakashe sighed and just stayed behind her.

The last checkpoint was just underneath the clouds and they rested for an hour getting the feeling back in their arms and legs. "Jeez Sakura, if you don't hurry up we'll never get up there before sunset. Then we won't be able to climb in the dark. I don't fancy sleeping on the side of a mountain. Look, an hour from now the sun will start to set." Naruto whined. Sakura looked at the grass under her feet in shame. When she was little she had fallen out of a very tall tree and broke her leg. Ever since then she had been afraid of heights and that memory of falling for a long time would haunt her if she had to climb anything. She never told anyone and got by the climbing exercises by looking straight ahead and telling herself it would be over soon. She just sat there trembling but refused to cry. Naruto was confused and Kakashe was a little concerned but knew when they got her up to the city she'll be fine. 'I just hope we don't have to climb down.' He thought in a deep state of depression.

Climbing the rock face through the clouds was almost climbing blind. They had to feel their way up and since Sakura had been doing this all day she proved to be faster than they were and reached a huge ledge over the cloud cover first. 'I got here first?' She thought hoisting herself over the edge.

When she straightened up her mouth dropped. Before her were huge gates made of what looked like cast iron. Over a hundred feet high and covered in very strange dents that seemed to be some from of language. On either side of the gates was a guard tower with battlements running along the wall protecting whatever was inside. She looked up even further to see buildings built all the way to the top of the mountain. "A great wizard by the name of Sato found this place and built a city. He was the grand high wizard of a town near a river a long time ago. But when a demon kept coming to attack them he moved the town up here and so it became a city specifically designed to train witches and wizards. There used to be Shinobi's here and a ninja school too, no one knew why they left except the ones that did. Some say they were tired of climbing up and down the mountain to visit families in others towns. Others say they had a huge disagreement with the witches and wizards who live there. I guess we'll find out when we go in there. Keep in mind anyone under the age of thirty will have never seen a Ninja before. So be polite and answer any questions they may have. But knowing their parents they'll probably tell their children to stay away from us. Oh and Naruto…"

"Hmm?"

"No practical jokes! We need to keep on the good side of these people whilst we remain their guests! Understand?" Naruto just nodded not really listening to him. "Or…would you like another one thousand years of death?" He said slowly and deliberately putting his hands together. Naruto turned pale very quickly and looked scared out of his wits "I'll be good, I'll be good." He said hurriedly keeping his ass well away from Kakashe. "Good, now let's go."

"You knew this place was here the whole time didn't you?" Sakura asked. "Why didn't you tell us before we got here?"

"The grand high wizard who rules over this place told me to give you a surprise and this it is. Funny, I always thought they'd live in a huge cave in the side of the mountain or something. See, even I'm surprised." The students sweat dropped and followed him towards the giant gates.


	4. Chapter 4

They approached the gates and were instantly spotted by the sentries. "Who goes there?" A wizard in a black cloak and gruff voice said. Compared to the wizards Sasuke had seen the night before they were giants. Their hands glowed meaning they were ready for anything. "Kakashe, Elite Shinobi of Konohagakure. Did the grand high wizard not tell you we were coming?"

"Yes he did, and by the look of your headbands you speak the truth. You may pass." The dents on the gets glowed and shook as they slowly opened. From what they saw each door must've been about six feet thick when they parted. "Welcome to Sato." The guard said watching their every move. He sounded friendly enough but was very alert like his silent partner across the gates. "Just go straight ahead and you should come to the biggest building in the heart of our city. You can't miss it; it's the biggest one there and goes all the way to the top of the mountain." The guard shouted down to them. "Thank you." Kakashe replied leading his somewhat overwhelmed students in to the city.

Everywhere they looked there would be people pointing and whispering. The adults looked especially worried and hurried their kids inside the house. To Naruto this wasn't new. 'Well what do ya know; a home away from home.' He thought sadly looking around at the glares and dirty looks. The only upside to this was he wasn't alone in this anymore, but he didn't want his team mates to experience it either. He wouldn't wish the hate he'd received all his life on to his worst enemy. Not even for the position of Hokage…well, he had to think about that one.

They reached the building and were shown in by two robed men. Naruto and the others had guessed the ones in black cloaks were guards. When they were told to enter a lift the relief that went through their bodies was unimaginable. If they had to climb the rest of the way to the very top blood would've been spilled.

"We rarely use this lift anymore." One of them said pulling the lever to make the lift start. "We only use it for people who've either broken their broomsticks, had an accident or are too old to fly anymore. Shinobi's haven't set foot inside city walls for over twenty years. Then you show up and the whole town is in an uproar. I mean come on, twenty years isn't that long." He said to Hatake. This guard stopped talking when Kakashe didn't answer his questions. These people must've been so bored hiding up here for so long as to get excited with the arrival of Shinobi's. Naruto stared out the side with a little window seeing themselves going up higher and higher until it stopped. The view was amazing. "Naruto."

"Coming."

They were shown to a door at the end of a long hall decorated in elaborate furnishings. When the door was opened they stepped in to a huge room with a huge glass ceiling mapping out the stars at night. At the far end of this room was a desk with a lot of paper work on one side and a neat pile half the size on the other. It was just as elaborate as the hall. "Sir, the Shinobi and his students are here." The guard said when they stopped by the desk. A chair with a huge back slowly turned to reveal an old man with a very wrinkled face and a long white bear. His hooded cloak was on his person but the hood was pushed back to revel his face. He was reading something with a magnifying glass in the other hand. He finished the page before putting them down on his desk and looked at them closely. His gaze fell upon Naruto the longest before he decided to speak.

"Welcome to our…well I would say humble but…hmm, not a very good start is it. I guess we'll start by showing you to your rooms and having dinner." The sounds of stomach growls were all he needed to say they'd agreed.

So they went down in the lift to the less formal level. The old wizard used his carved staff to support himself as they walked through the dorms. "Is this a school?" Sakura asked making the old wizard smile. "You're a very wise young lady. Yes, this level is a school. The lower levels train our young witches and wizards. The upper levels deal with the politics and the less interesting side of this place. There are guest rooms on the end of this place far from the children. That way neither will be disturbed in the night."

They reached the end of the hall and turned on to a balcony that stretched down the length of the dorms. They had a completely open view of the clouds in the sunset which was captivating. Naruto leaned against the wood panelling reaching up to his shoulders as he peered at the amazing view. There was a roof above him so he felt like he was walking through a sort of tunnel on the outside of the building. "Keep up Naruto; we don't want you to get lost." Kakashe ordered. Naruto did as he was told glancing at the view every now and then.

"GET BACK HERE!" A very angry man yelled. They couldn't see who it was due to a dark purple cloak and hood, but a kid about the same age as Naruto ran out of another hall further down and stopped by the banister. "No way!" She called and stuck her tongue out at whoever was chasing her. In her hand was a black broomstick. She climbed over the wood panelling and jumped. Sakura gasped and hoped the girl didn't kill herself. But a few seconds later she flew past the panelling at the speed of light making them shudder from the force. "See you in class loser!" She yelled flying higher and higher.

A middle aged man stopped by the panelling gasping and looking very angry. "You'll be sorry for what you did! You little-"

"Ahem!" The old wizard cleared his throat giving the other man a stern look. "I do hope she hasn't damaged our school again or anything to warrant this kind of behaviour. You are a professional teacher Drake and I expect you to act like one." He said. Drake sighed and bowed in respect. "Forgive me for my actions, that girl…she…turned the classroom upside down. We were practicing movement of furniture but she decided to move the whole classroom. Her pranks are getting out of control. But I'll punish her accordingly."

"Nothing too rash I hope." A warning and very serious tone came in to the wizards voice. It made a shiver run up everyone's spines from the power emitted just by the old man's voice. "Yes sir, I'll fit the punishment with the crime." Drake left them mumbling things under his breath his own mother would be ashamed of. The old wizard sighed. "That girl has been causing trouble these past two years ever since she was brought here when her father died. Now, on to dinner."

They entered a large hall with long dining tables running down it. There must've been at least a few hundred students in the hall eating their meal. "Since this is a magic school all you have to do is think what you'd like to it and it will appear before you." The old man said showing them to the teacher's table. Sasuke and Sakura thought about what they'd like whilst Naruto didn't have to think at all. "Ramen." He said and a bowl appeared in front of him steaming hot and ready to eat. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely gonna like it here." He said through a mouthful of noodles. "Ew! Naruto, don't talk with you mouth full." Sakura whined. Kakashe tucked in to his food thinking about what Naruto said. 'Enjoy it while you can Naruto. I've heard to strengthen the seal within you is not a pleasant experience.'

A few minutes later the girl they saw jumping out the balcony entered the hall. She sat on a table alone and ordered rice noodles with chicken and duck wraps. She sat in a corner alone like she was used to it and ate her food in silence. When she was finished she got up to leave.

"Sujin." The old wizard called from the table. The girl frozen with her hand on the door and slowly turned to see a stern look across his face. 'If there was a Hokage for witches and wizards he would be it.' Naruto thought watching the girl approach the table. The other kids were whispering and sniggering at her. Clearly she wasn't popular or had any friends to speak of. "Drake told me of your antics today." He said and the girl sighed. "I was wondering when he'd redecorate." The girl raised her head in surprise. 'Was that supposed to be funny?' She thought quirking an eyebrow in question. "But what you did is still wrong. Has Drake given you an appropriate punishment?"

"I couldn't stop him sir, even after I restored it. I have to clean his classroom for two months." The old wizard sighed and nodded his head. "That's a fair punishment. I do hope you've learned your lesson."

"Oh yes sir. I won't touch his classroom again…I'll just turn **him** upside down instead." The old wizard sighed with a very tired smile. Naruto sniggered; this girl was just like him. "I can't stop you; just try not to get too carried away. You remember what happened with the clouds when you got bored of their colour?" He asked and Sujin had to stop herself from smiling. "I meant to change their colour…not bring about thunderstorms and blizzards for a week. But I managed to fix that problem before anyone got hurt…much." She said scratching the back of her head in an embarrassed sort of way. "Indeed you learn by your mistakes. But do try to keep them small." He said smiling at her, Sujin bowed in respect. It was then she noticed the new arrivals and stared at them for a second. "I see you've noticed our new friends."

"Hard not to sir. Shinobi's?" She asked and Kakashe nodded. "By the look of the mark on your headband I'd say you're from Konohagakure."

"For someone from a place with no Ninja School or Shinobi's to speak of how do you know about this?" Kakashe asked pointing to his headband. With his visible eye he studied Sujin intently. "I would tell you but we're not allowed to talk about stuff like that here. Shinobi's have been exiled from this place permanently. So why you're here is the bigger question." She said studying Kakashe just as intently. "Sujin, maybe you should show our friends around the school tomorrow."

"Oh come on sir, I'm no tour guide and I have to work tomorrow. Can't you pick someone else? A couple of the teachers used to be Shinobi's so why not ask them?"

"Because they don't want to be reminded of what they had to give up." The old wizard pointed out making Sujin feel ashamed. She hadn't thought of that. "And besides…." He lowered his voice so only they could hear him. "…you don't want me to tell Kein of what you were up to last night by the waterfall do you?" Sujin gasped and the old man smiled at her. "I see al remember, just don't do it again." Sujin thought about this for a few seconds before releasing a heavy sigh. "Fine, whereabouts would you like me to take them? The town, around the school, the upper levels, etc, etc…" The old wizard smiled. "Good idea, you can do one floor a day after school. But since I've already taken the liberty of getting you the day off work tomorrow you can take them around the school."

"That'll take all day." Sujin growled knowing she fell for it hook line and sinker. "I know. There will also be no students to get in your way." He smiled at her. 'Greeaat, what a fun filled day that'll be.'

"I take it they're sleeping in the guest rooms?" She enquired. The old man nodded his head munching happily on a cookie. "Right, I'll meet you there at nine." She said and walked away. Naruto suddenly remembered who she was but stopped himself for calling out to her. 'See you tomorrow.' He thought.

Sujin made it back to her room feeling very ill. 'Oh crap! It's the kid I saved from the waterfall. I hope he's smart enough to keep his mouth shut.' She worried laying back on her futon.


	5. Chapter 5

Nine O'clock and the torture had begun. Sujin waited there patiently thinking she'd rather be at work than doing this. She had taken off her cloak and was in her usual black clothes. Her long sleeved top was tucked in to black baggy trousers rolled up towards her knees. On her feet were black boots going up to her rolled up trousers. A black belt with a silver buckle scrunched the loose material of the trousers around her waist. The buckle had the head of a dragon on it. Her long black hair was tied up at the top in a pony tail whilst the bottom was tied together in a ribbon by her waist. She hadn't a fringe but two black bangs of hair lining the outside of her face reaching down to her collar bone. She had only one rule. 'Don't mess with me or feel my wrath.' She thought leaning back against the wall with her arms folded.

"Hi." A voice said down the hall. She turned her head and saw it was Naruto. "Hey I want to thank-"

"Shut up you nitwit! You want to get me expelled? This place has eyes and ears everywhere so be careful what you say. Don't thank me until I take you somewhere you can…or better yet don't mention it at all. I understand what you're saying and you're welcome. Just don't mention it ever again! Got it?" She spat and Naruto nodded. "Naruto, are you causing trouble already?" Kakashe appeared with Sakura and Sasuke beside him. He started putting his hands together and Naruto put his back to the wall. "Ouch. Nice way to keep him under control." She said making Kakashe even more impressed by her knowledge. Naruto glared at her. "Ok then, follow me."

She took them to the lift. "Obviously this is the dorms so I don't need to show you around here. This is the top level. There are four levels altogether so I'll take you to the floor below us." She said as the lift doors opened. They went in and the lift descended. "How do you know about-" Kakashe began but Sujin just shook her head. "I already told you sir. We're not allowed to talk about that."

"Seems to me like you want to." He said and she sighed. "I try to but keep getting punished for it. So in the end I keep it to myself and don't mention it."

"That's awful. No one shouldn't be allowed to talk about what they want." Sakura said with pity in her eyes. Sujin just shrugged. "You grow used to it after a while. Hmm, we're here." She let go of the handle and the lift stopped. When she opened the doors there was a large corridor stretching out before them. There were at least twenty classrooms along it and by the way the doors were spaced they were huge. "Most of this building is inside the mountain so the window's you'll see are enchanted. That way the students don't feel like their in a cave." She said opening the door to the first room.

Naruto and Sakura gasped whilst Sasuke and Hatake looked impressed. "Whoa! This rooms bigger than two of our classrooms put together."

"More like three." Sasuke said looking around this cavern instead of a classroom. The windows were huge with the view of the sky making it look even bigger. Naruto went over to one of the open windows and poked it. There shouldn't have been anything there but he could feel solid rock. "Is there a magic breeze and heat too? I feel like I'm standing in front of a window on a summer's day." The headmaster has thought of everything to make us feel more comfortable. The next floor is where we study potions." The classrooms looked like enormous science rooms will cauldrons on every desk and huge cabinets at one end of the classrooms filled with ingredients. The floor below that was where the staff would go for breaks and lunch. All their offices were there too.

Finally the last floor was thankfully outside the mountain. The huge courtyard was the size of at least ten football pitches surrounded by a wall. There were vines and flowers planted around the wall with a small river running through it with four bridges spaced evenly along it. There was also a big tree in the middle with a bunch of seats around it. "This is where we learn how to fly. The classrooms by the lift is where was study the theory behind it and were the power comes from." This placed looked more like a resting place and a garden more than a training area. "The first years learn how to fly over there." She pointed to a place where a third of the courtyard was bare. "Can I learn how to fly?" Naruto asked sounding very excited. "Sorry, but unless you are a witch or wizard then you won't be able to get up off the ground. You see, the power that runs through us is how we fly. It's not the brooms that fly at all but the person who uses it. Is that clear enough for you?" She asked as Naruto started up at the sky. He looked put down and nodded is head. "Maybe…I can give you a ride later. You know, give you a better view of the place. That's how we really get around. Not even the first years use a lift; they already know how to fly. They just use the courtyard to practice. So who'd like to have a go sometime?"

"No thank you." Sakura trembled turning very pale. "I think I'll pass, not really sure flying is my thing." Kakashe said rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah! Just say the word and I'm there!" Naruto jumped around like a toddler imagining he was soaring high above the clouds. "What about you?" She asked Sasuke who looked at her. He thought for a moment before he shrugged. "Ok, I'll take that as a maybe then. Well…this is the end of my tour for today. I have to go somewhere for a while. See you around." They watched as she went over to the walk in broom closet and came out with her black broom and cloak. She put it on going in to the middle of the courtyard. Then she sat astride her broom and concentrated.

A swirl of wind formed beneath her and her cloak flapped around furiously as she bent her knees and pushed herself off the ground. The speed she flew was amazing as she flew high above their heads and down the mountain. "Wow! I can't wait to go on a ride like that!" Naruto exclaimed looking extremely excited.

For the rest of the day they went around town with whispers and pointing fingers following them every step of the way. When they returned to the main building it wasn't so bad but was still enough to drive even Sasuke bonkers. But as the day was drawing to a close it seemed to have gone down a couple of levels making them feel less conspicuous than before.

As they headed towards the lift to go back down to the dorms they could hear shouting and a bit of swearing. Naruto peaked past a corner to see Sujin playing piggy in the middle on her broomstick with some nasty looking boys. No need to guess who the pig was. They too had broomsticks and were tossing her bag between them. "Come and get it girly without using magic or you'll never earn my respect." He snarled at her tossing her bag to another boy. "Like I would want that! But ok, I accept your challenge."

"Naruto, what are you looking at?" Hatake asked coming over to the boy. When he looked at Sujin he sighed. "This is none of our business, so lets-?"

He stopped and saw Sujin disappear. "Hey that's magic! Stop cheating!" The boy yelled waving her bag around like a flag. "OONG!" She reappeared and shook her head. "No I wasn't. I was using Shinobi arts." The boys gasped and looked at her like she was mad. "If someone catches you using that-" He stopped and felt the bag being grabbed out of his hand. He turned to see Sujin there smiling at him. "This is called the art of the Doppelganger. What you see before you is a shadowy illusion of myself." Sujin made the other one disappear as it stuck its tongue out at the boy. "Whilst I circled around and came out the tree from behind you." She said thumbing at the tree behind her. "So technically I didn't use magic at all. I used-"

"Something that you shouldn't even know about!" A very angry voice growled near the balcony. Sujin felt her heart leap up in her throat. "M-master Yen sing." She stuttered, looking like a dear caught in the headlights of a car. The middle aged wizard with white hair and green eyes glared at her. He looked strong and confident compared to most of the teachers here. His robes were dark blue with red trim. "You boys leave now! We have much to discuss Sujin and I."

The boys left laughing at Sujin who gulped. She came to land in the balcony and bowed her head waiting for some punishment. But instead he smiled. "That was a very good lesson in how not to mess with a Shinobi. Pity your father never gave you a headband before he passed away." Sujin looked up at him stunned she wasn't being told off. "You forget I used to be a teacher of aspiring Shinobi's here, and what I saw was indeed a fine example of the arts that are missing from this place." He said somewhat sadly. "So…then why not say something? The demon that attacked this place has long since been sealed away and can't hurt us anymore. They don't need to fear it coming back. It was after Shinobi's that's true, but it has long since disappeared from existence. The elders must see that now. Maybe if you and I talk to the elders with the other teachers who gave up then maybe-"

"I did not give up!" He scolded her and she shrank back from his angry gaze. "I had to choose, I've never regretted my decision but you're right. It's just the elders are old…and scared. They think they're only doing what is right. You can argue all you like but the fact remains they were right too. So because the choice saved the city none can say anything to bring it back. Few of us are all that is left of what was here. I don't want to see you get expelled for doing something you want to. I know it was unfair of them to bring you here when your father died but-"

"The magic that runs within my blood from my mother cannot be ignored. I get the same lecture from Mr. Sato. I wonder how old he is."

"You're changing the subject." He sighed tiredly. Then he came down to her level and looked her straight in the eyes. "It must be hard living with no parents but you must be strong. When you graduate a few years from now and get sent to a village then you can practice Jutsu all you like." Sujin smiled. "I wonder if I should tell the Shinobi's that the healer in their town is actually a witch or wizard." She said smiling. 'I knew it!' Naruto thought triumphantly. "When I do graduate I'm definitely heading to Konohagakure. My father used to teach at the Ninja school there…until he found my mum that is. I hate her." She growled. "I wish she didn't-"

"I know." Sujin's head came forward until her chin reached her chest. "H-how could she…why did she…that evil witch!" She growled, angry tears hit the floor before Yen Sing. He kneeled before her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes people make mistakes. Your mother was taken over by the dark arts and wasn't thinking clearly."

"Don't give me that crap!" She yelled looking up at him with tear filled eyes. "She knew exactly what she was doing! That's why everyone hates me! Everyone avoids me because they think I'm just like her. 'Evil witch' and 'Evil spawn' that's what the kids at school call me! Their parents aren't so childish but it hurts just the same! Everywhere people are whispering behind my back and pointing at me. I can sometimes hear what they're saying. Every single day I have to go through that because of what she did!" Sujin's head came forward and her tears fell freely. Yen Sing squeezed her shoulder to comfort her as she cried silently. "Not everyone thinks that. I and the honourable headmaster Sato don't, and I think you'll find there are others as well." He said. "So you're not alone."

"I wish I'd never been born." She whispered and Yen Sing put his arms around her. He brought her in only to be pushed away. "You don't want to do that. You'll probably catch my evil genes." She growled before suddenly taking off in to the night's sky. "Sujin." He sighed as he watched her fly away.

Naruto knew exactly what that was like. He felt for her as Kakashe took him back to the lift. Sasuke and Sakura had seen it too, they thought about how much alike she and Naruto were. All the way to the dorms neither said anything and thought about what they just saw. 'Not only is she a talented witch but she could've been a very talented Shinobi as well.' Kakashe thought as he fell asleep. Naruto however was wide awake and too busy thinking. In the end he sighed and got up taking care not to wake Kakashe or Sasuke as he tiptoed past their rooms.

He found Sujin's door having seen her enter this room and knocked on it.

Sujin slid the door open very fast looking at him like he was mad. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" She whispered angrily. Just by looking at her Naruto could tell she had been crying. "I saw what happened earlier. You're a very talented Shinobi." He said smiling goofily at her. "That's funny, I'm not wearing a headband." She growled. Naruto sighed and glared at her. "Geez, there's just no way of winning with you is there?" He growled. "Guess not, I'll see you tomorrow." She said and shut the door quickly leaving a stupefied Naruto in her wake. 'Fine then. I was only trying to be nice.' He said and skulked off back to bed.


End file.
